Wilberta "Berta" Gabree, 86, resident of Pensacola, FL, died peacefully Wednesday, May 4, 2022.

Berta was born on July 2, 1935, in Stowe, VT. My mom ROCKED. She was "all-in" in every aspect of her family. From her parents, brothers, sisters, my dad, my brother, me, grandkids… she lived, as Jesus did, for others.

She met my dad when she was 18, on a blind date. They went to a barn dance with Ron and Lucy (who didn't end up getting married, btw). Mom was working at a ski lodge in Stowe, VT, and Dad loved to ski, so… I mean, that's a recipe for 67 years of marriage, right?

Dad popped the question about 8 months later (he knew she was "the one") and they moved into his mother's house. DON'T JUDGE! They were in love and they made it work. That was October 23, 1954. Dad's job working on the frozen mountain was…well…terrible, so he re-enlisted in the Air Force. Dad reported first and in February, 1955, Mom packed that sweet, baby blue '54 Chevy, and drove herself across the country to Denver, CO. She was FEARLESS. And she would follow her husband to the ends of the Earth for the following 67 years.

And follow him, she did. During his time in the Air Force, Mom and Dad either lived in, visited, or spent time in every one of the 50 United States. In 1959, while my dad was stationed in Tampa, they brought my brother, Stephen, into their lives. He was adopted when he was 18 months old and to say he was a beautiful boy is an understatement: HUGE brown eyes, white-blonde curly hair, and the sweetest disposition. My mom was immediately smitten. And he was hers.

A year later, they were in Madrid, Spain. Dad made sure they took advantage of that opportunity and they explored Europe. Mom loved it! Thank you, Daddy, for enriching her life. I love you for that, and I know she did, too.

Back to the States a year later, they kept up their pace of traveling the states, eventually landing in Denver, CO. Something was missing from this little family. Oh, wait, it was ME!

I was blessed with my parents when I was 8 weeks old. An aside…my brother and I always knew we were adopted. They were always honest with us. But neither of us ever felt "out of place." We were "The Gabree Family." We didn't look for our "birth parents." WE HAD PARENTS. THE PERFECT PARENTS.

My dad was sent to Viet Nam in 1969. I was 3. Stephen was 10. Mom, as always, was a ROCK. She was our everything. She made sure we remembered our dad and kept our life as normal as possible. She came up with the idea to use reel-to-reel tapes, sent almost weekly, from our dining room table to my dad. He would send tapes back to us. Our tapes were mostly dinner chatter and "We love and miss you Daddy!" His were definitely sanitized to protect us from the War.

My fondest memories of my mom are helping her bake. I don't need to tell you, you all know she was an incredible cook and baker. And that tradition continued with her grandchildren. Ask Madeline, who at 17, was a pastry chef and stellar cheesecake baker. Her love of cooking is clear in Alexander who makes incredible Jambalaya because he spent hours in the kitchen with "Gma." And Andrew, well, her famous pancakes kept him from running away from home when he was 6 years old!

But, Asher. Her Asher Boy. I know they have already made millions of her famous chocolate chip cookies, tens of thousands of loaves of banana bread, and maybe some pumpkin bread for, well, dare I say, all the angels in heaven? And of course, her, Asher, and my brother, Stephen, are all free, laughing, and probably playing board games right now. That was my mom. Family dinners followed by board games – family time.

I miss you, Mom. I miss your guidance, your wisdom, your unconditional love…and boy, did I push that one. But, Mom, you were always my Champion, and Stephen's, too. You fought school boards and teachers you knew were wrong about us.

Speaking of school…My friends in high school loved hanging out at my house because my mom was the consummate hostess: food trays, sodas in the fridge…and the ear that would listen. I'll admit, sometimes I was jealous of her. She really was "every body's mom" HOW AWESOME is that? We held safe parties at my house in high school – and they were well attended because everybody knew my mom.

My mom was a Rock Star. She was an incredibly talented artist. She worked as a floral designer, she painted, she knitted, she crocheted, she sewed…no, wait, I mean SHE SEWED!! One of my fondest memories was being my mom's sewing buddy, using that cool rolling thing on the fabric to make the marks and then cutting out patterns. She TRUSTED me with PINKING sheers at the ripe old age of 6!! But that legacy trickled down to my kids: she taught them to knit and crochet, two skills I could never master.

Did I mention, all this time, my mom worked? Yeah. She did. But she made sure she was home when my brother and I got home from school. And dinner was ready when Dad got home. That was my mom. She knew the secret to a balanced life. Do what makes you happy – always. She loved her work. Whether as a ski bunny in her teens, a beautician in her 20s, a medical transcriptionist in her 30s, a florist in her 40s, a Church Secretary in her 50s, or a "Gramma" babysitter in her 60s and 70s, she loved her work.

Ok, let's be honest, the babysitting gigs were NOT work. She loved Sean, Brian, Tommy, Ross, Hadley, and Callie as her own grand babies! And she had the same impact on them as she did with her own grandchildren. I'm pretty sure if you ask any of them to make chocolate chip cookies or banana bread, they will go into auto-mode and make a complete replica of GMA Berta's recipe.

My mom was loved. It's clear. She made an indelible impact on every single person she came in contact with. Thank you all for being such an important part of her life.

Berta is preceded death by her parents, Harold Foran and Gertrude (Gordon) Foran; brothers, Warren Foran, Harold Foran, Jr., sister, Ramona Foran, son, Stephen Paul Gabree, and grandson, Asher Gabree Chmiel.

Survivors include her husband, Nathan Bert Gabree; daughter, Theresa Marie Chmiel (John David); daughter-in-law, Sharon "Shari" Gabree of Beaumont, TX; grandchildren, Alexander Christian Chmiel of Seattle, WA, Andrew Ian Chmiel (Mykale Tipton) of Enterprise, AL, and Madeline Grace Chmiel of Pensacola, FL; as well as great-grandchildren, Hazel and Rose Chmiel.

Memorial Mass will be held 12:00noon Thursday, May 19, 2022, at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, with Msgr. Michael Reed celebrant. Inurnment will follow at Barrancas National Cemetery.